Ryuu Gets a Girlfriend
by wolfsrain33
Summary: Well, everyone else in S.A. got coupled up with someone. Why not Ryuu too? I swear the story gets better if you just hang in there and keep reading.
1. Chapter 1

****Disclaimer! I do not own S.A. or any of the original characters! I really hope you enjoy this fanfic as I have enjoyed the many I have read.****

Ryuu was always the nice guy. Everyone knew they could count on him, as long as they didn't interfere with Jun and Megumi. He, and they, made a point to show who Ryuu's most important pair were and they were okay with that. The two were quiet and sweet enough, not to mention their parents were gone so often they had no one else to look after them. Ryuu was more than happy to protect them in any way that he was able to. Jun and Megumi both loved him as if he were their big brother, mother, and father all wrapped up into one lovable bundle of a good guy.

As time passed and high school approached, Jun and Megumi didn't need Ryuu as much as they used to. Soon enough, they both found their own romantic partners, and Ryuu didn't have anyone else to take care of with the exception of his animals. That didn't mean he quit watching over them, only that he found himself spending many a night alone with worried furry, feathered, and scaly friends. They provided a comforting, loveable companionship, but he had to admit the human side of conversations was a tad bit lacking.

One night Ryuu decided to take a walk for a change of pace. All homework had been promptly finished before he even left the classroom as was usual and the animals had been fed before Jun and Megumi had left on their daily evening dates. He had no destination in mind really, just a pass through the city. Maybe he could check on his friends from the S.A. class. It wasn't stalking if he just happened to be passing through the neighborhood right? It was really more like and even friendly patrol. That's right, a patrol.

He considered checking up with Jun who should be at a nice restaurant nearby with Sakura-chan, but decided against the idea. Jun had been going through a phase where he wanted to seem manlier in Sakura-chan's eyes without the assistance of Dark Jun. Kei and Hikari would be fine alone, putting aside the fact Ryuu didn't care for the idea of Kei ripping his head off in retaliation for walking in on their date he knew was today. Later he might visit Tadashi and Akira, their stay-at-home-movie date night was tonight. Those two would be the least likely to mind his presence though Akira might not be able to speak past her blush. Maybe he should leave them alone after all. It is rude to intrude on other's homes without an invitation first and though he and Tadashi were friends, Ryuu knew he wouldn't feel right about dropping in on them. Megumi and Yashiro were the last couple, even if he wasn't pleased about the thought. That pair would not be one he would ever be able to simply drop in on. He knew for a fact that Yashiro would not appreciate his interruption of their date. Or worse, he would pretend the bad guy role—probably out of habit—and leave a furious Megumi angry at him. Ryuu couldn't stand when Megumi was upset in anyway and it was the absolute worst when he knew he was the one who caused her pain.

He remembered once when they were about toddler age playing in the sandbox with her and while rough-housing with Jun, in the way little boys do, he had accidentally kicked sand in her long hair. She was furious with him for committing such an atrocious and humiliating act for such a young girl and wouldn't forgive him for a solid week even after he apologized a billion and one times. Ryuu felt so guilty that he even offered to brush her hair as many times as she wanted him to without complaint. Boy did she take advantage of that. Since her hair long thick and wavy, brushing was quite a difficult task even when it was wet. She had Ryuu brushing her hair for months before she finally gave in and forgave him, but he still felt guilty about it to this day.

Ryuu never forgot mistakes that made a difference. A few problems wrong on a test? No big deal. Not helping Jun or Megumi study when they asked him to? Big deal. He would flip the world upside down for them if he could. All they had to do was ask.

Already deciding it wasn't such a good idea to visit anyone tonight, Ryuu decided to just wander around the city. He planned to visit a nice park that was about an hour's walk away. Sure it would take a while to reach his destination, but he knew for a fact that was the most well-kept, animal friendly park around. A fenced off pond for ducks and cranes that needed a rest, nice tall trees with plenty of protective branches, bird baths and houses and some residents were kind enough to put out feeders and corn. Even the name is nice, Dōbutsu Ōkoku which translates to Animal Kingdom. There was a different grassy area next door that was a fenced in dog park.

Ryuu used to go there regularly when he was little before Jun and Megumi really needed his support and care. He liked the thrill of sneaking out (after leaving a note on his pillow if his parents got worried) and exploring the park at night like some kind of safari adventure. He had gone to that park so many times that the animals began to recognize and approach him. They soon became great friends so he started bringing them gifts of food and learned how to heal them when wounded or sick.

It had been so long since he last visited those happy little critters! So, with a grin he stepped into the super-market to buy animal feed and took off jogging in the direction of the park he couldn't wait to see again.

* * *

After a decent jog, about four miles, Ryuu finally made it to that oh-so-familiar place. Everything was just as he remembered it. The pond of sleeping ducks, trees with gentle human-friendly birds fluffing themselves up to bear the cool night as they hunker down for sleep in their nest, pigeon bench, forever stained in bird poo... ah the memories.

Well, now was a good a time as any to start secretly laying down corn, bread, and seed for the park's furry and feathered residents. Using his his classic whistle for food, all formerly dozing eyes were on him as a huge, adoring grin flashed across his face.

This was his favorite part. Tiny grins matching squeaks of gratitude. Joyful chirps between delicate yet ravenous pecks for food. Obnoxious squawks of glee while feathers fly in a feeding frenzy. He loved to see the primal passion these creatures showed as they indulged in his simple act of food giving. Such a small act of giving brings so much happiness to them that it could warm the coldest of hearts. Even Kei would smile gently to himself if he could see this from Ryuu's eyes. The moment was just so surreal... peaceful... and exiting at the same time. That wonderful rush one gets when you do a good deed.

While caught up in the moment, Ryuu missed the startled quack of a soon to be angry duck near the pond he only heard the screaming of a young girl who sounded as though her she was facing her worst nightmare.

He couldn't stop himself from running to her. He didn't know who she was, not even what she looked like, but there was no way he would just sit back and do nothing while she sounded so terrified. Even though he was still a little out of breath from running so far without a break carrying heavy bags of animal chow, his legs carried him to the source of the scream.

Crouched into a well practiced fighting stance, Ryuu was ready to fight off any predator be it man or beast. What he was unprepared for was her...

* * *

**Thanks to those of you who were curious to begin reading! I really don't know how long this will be and I'll try to update fairly quickly after each chapter. Please rate and review! I would deeply appreciate the feedback! Until then... ja na!**


	2. Chapter 2

****The only character I own is Aki. The rest belong to their rightful owner and creators. Thanks for the viewers out there! Hope you like this chapter. Please please please review and let me know what you think!****

"_Good grief… could this day GET any worse?"_

First off, Aki was late because she was so exhausted from work the previous night, she forgot to reset her alarm and woke up after school had started resulting in an hour of detention. Thanks to _that _wonderful little surprise, she was also late to work. By the way, bosses do not appreciate tardy slave laborers. Best way to cope? Grovel. Big time.

That couldn't really be helped. It was work or eviction. Granted, both were extremely suckish thoughts, but since evicted meant going home, work it is.

BUT! At least she had enough money to buy a small luxury, her favorite snack, pocky. _"Mmmm… yes I needed this. SO worth the extra money."_ Since Aki found herself in a lightened mood, she decided to go on a little adventure and wander through the nearby park. She had never been there before even though it was near her apartment. She didn't really know why, something in her head just said 'Don't go there.' And she listened. But tonight her gut wasn't talkin' tonight. As far as Aki was concerned, that meant throw caution to the wind and go for it. So she did.

Bad idea. Now she knew why her gut had been saying 'Stay away.'

Okay okay, yes there are animals all over the friggin world, but this was ridiculous! Everywhere you looked they were in some sort of group! What a nightmare! Birds were crowding the trees. _"How the heck do they all fit on that poor thing… it's sagging?!"_ A small pond had been taken over by semi aquatic creatures like ducks and cranes and turtles. _"Oh gross! They all 'go' in there…"_ There was even a bench covered with pigeons. _"…" _

Lucky for her, they were all settling down to sleep for the night. If she could be stealthy enough, she could tiptoe around them and make a mad dash for home as soon as she was in the clear. Taking a silent, deep breath for courage, she began her treacherous quest home.

Why not just go around? Well, she had to be home quick to attempt homework she didn't understand before passing out on her textbooks and this was the fastest rout. She was not going to let a bunch of disgusting creepy beasts stop her from reaching her destination. Her pride was on the line, at least she thought so.

First step… _"Here we go.." _ So far none of the animals had taken any notice of her, and if they did, they were too used to being around humans to care. _"Just a few more steps and I'm out of this land mine. All I need to do is make it past that pond. A little further, a few more steps and I'm home free… so close… so close…"_

Then… all hell broke loose. Feathers and fur went flying in a frenzied rush. Aki was ahead of most of the animals yet she still froze in fear of the sudden movement behind her. She wasn't the only one who noticed the random motion either. Every bird in the pond that could fly took off at the exact same moment knocking her over as they flew in a terrifying whirlwind of feathers and unmentionables; however, there was one particularly nasty little duck that did not fly off.

"_What is he looking at?" _

She slowly stood up, not taking her eyes of the fearsome beast watching her noting the amount of literal crap feather combo that coated her shoes, jeans, jacket, hair, and any other visible part of her body. "Wait a second… Oh no! Don't even think about it buster! There is no way you are getting this," she shouted in a trembling voice that still managed to be full of frustrated rage. She gripped her precious pocky , hidden in her inner jacket pocket, closer to her.

The most intensely epic duck vs girl staredown took place for a solid two minutes before the vicious little beast leaped with all his might at the food. A startled shriek left Aki's lips as she once again fell less then gracefully to the unforgiving ground. Landing with a thud that was sure to leave a deep purple bruise on her rear, Aki screamed again at the injustice of a stupid duck taking away her only bit of happiness of the day. Fearful and anguished tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" asked a gentle voice from behind her, "You fell, are you hurt? Can I help you? What on earth happened? Poor thing, you look like you've seen better days."

_"Great now this hot guy is here seeing me like this... Just great. Could this day GET any worse?"  
_

* * *

Ryuu looked down at this poor girl completely covered in bird poop and feathers. He wondered for a moment what had set them off before realizing it was actually his fault. _"Oops... this is not good. I need to make this up to her. Er, I should probably find out who she is..." _Helping the young fiery girl up to her feet he couln't help but notice how petite she is, a full head shorter then Ryuu. It was nearly impossible to distinguish her hair color from the dirt and poo. He guessed brown to match her... eye? Only one of her eyes was a deep rich brown. The other was a startling shade of hypnotic blue. Her eyes were beautiful if not a bit unnerving. They shone with unshed tears and the passion he knew was in her heart. Blinking, he realized he had been staring at them and didn't realize the now fearless face that glared defiantly at him.

"Get away from me pervert! I've had a rough enough day without your fake pity! Don't even think about doing anything funny or I _will_ drop kick you! Don't you _dare_ underestimate me. I am a hell-of-a-lot stronger then I look." spat the furious indignant girl.

"Whoa... easy there," Ryuu said gently as if to soothe this wild beast of a female, "I promise I won't hurt you and if I do, you have every right to... drop me... and run screaming for your life knowing I will never _ever_ bother you again." That did seem to help a little. Her calculating eyes searched his to find the lie or the truth. Ryuu couldn't tell. He did know she was living a hard life and bearing an even harder past. Some part of him just wanted to comfort her. Granted, Ryuu is known for being protective and eager to help others, but it's different with this girl. He doesn't want to play the father figure or a big brother to her... He wanted to hold her as a lover would and never let go. "Maybe I could escort you home?" Ryuu suggested, "Where do you live?"

After a long pause the girl answered," I live in that apartment complex straight ahead- the little one."

Ryuu looked to where she had pointed seeing a shabby run down complex that just barely looked like the building could stay up at all. He wondered how the occupants managed to not fall through the floor. Looking back he couldn't help but ask, "Does that place even have sanitary running water?"

* * *

With a grimace she replied, "No..." _"Okay, so it's not much of a home, but at least that horrible excuse of a father isn't there."_

Not surprisingly, he shot her a look of surprise then realized exactly how close they were. He still had not let go of her after helping her to her feet. A light blush spread across his cheeks softening his deep emerald eyes even though he was embarrassed. He has such beautiful eyes. Ryuu noticing her stare quickly let go and looked down. She saw his cute little pink blush deepen to a crimson red a smiled a little to herself without letting him see. She would not allow herself to be charmed by this man or any other. Young men grew up to be low-life scum. If there was anything her father taught her, that was it. School had shown her that as well. Too many times had she either seen or nearly been the victim of some creep who thought of her as an easy target. She would not grin and bear it like her mother. She was Not weak. She would prove to herself and her father that she Can not only survive, but live her life the way she chose to. But, people are unreliable. The best way for Aki to live is by herself.

Despite being covered in bird crap and feathers with a bruised butt as that demon duck enjoyed her pocky, she straightened up and steeled herself against the world and more importantly, this stranger.

"I don't want your pity nor your help. Leave me alone." she said with a strong even voice.

That snapped they guy out of his blush as he slowly met her gaze. His emerald eyes shone with concern that was too sincere to be faked. _"Why? Why does he look at me with concern. Why should he care? It must be a lie."  
_  
"Is there no way you will let me help? I am the one who startled the animals by bringing them food. The state you're in now is my fault. Please let me make it up to you in some small way." he begged, "You can come to my place! I have plenty of warm running water and extra rooms that you can stay in if you'd like. You don't have to pay for anything, or if that doesn't work I can pay your rent for a few days or install running water. Please..."

"Well when you put it that way... that would be helpful. Fine. I will stay with you for one night. No funny business and no commitments, but first you will walk me home so I can grab clothes. You will not come into my apartment. You will wait outside." ordered Aki. _"Living alone is best but the gut is saying trust this guy tonight then never look back so that's what I'll do. That could be why it said to check out this park in the first place."_ The young green haired man shook his head in agreement and seemed relieved. _"At least he's happy. That makes one of us."_

They quickly made their way to the run down apartment complex without another word to each other. Aki told him to wait out front while she went to grab a some clothes to change into including her simple black pj's and her work and school uniforms. After shoving them into her ragged black backpack, she came back down the stairs to find the green haired guy waiting by a taxi with the door open for her. He had a charming grin on her face and said to get in. Aki threw her beat-up bag in first then hopped on in. He slid in much more gracefully then turned to her with a shy smile. A normal person would seriously question his actions, but for whatever reason, she felt she could trust him. Aki realized she had not bothered to ask this stranger's name yet. Probably would be a good thing to know.

"Sorry for not asking earlier, but what's your name?" she asked

He grinned a little wider and answered, "Ryuu. And your name is?"

"Aki."

"Well Aki, it is very nice to meet you even under these rather unusual circumstances. I'm sorry about what happened to you. It is entirely my fault." Ryuu said as he bowed a little in her direction.

"Likewise, and don't bother apologizing. There's nothing you can do to change what happened. Animals hate me anyway. I'm used to it. They aren't the only ones."

Ryuu's head cocked at that. His confusion told her he was either an animal lover or has always been surrounded by some form of a loving family with people who care about him. Maybe even both.

"Animals hate you?" he asked.

"Isn't that what I just said? What part of that sentence do you not understand?" replied Aki bitterly.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you. It's just hard for me to understand why they would. You don't seem hostile towards them. They aren't angry with others without reason. What makes you think they or anyone else hates you?"

Before Aki could answer the cab driver told them they had arrived at their destination and as Ryuu paid the man, Aki looked up in awe at the massive apartment complex. It was the most luxurious building she had ever seen in her life. She looked over at Ryuu who she knew couldn't be much older then her and gaped._ "Holy molely this guy is loaded!" _She shouldn't be here. After looking down at her pathetic appearance of stinky bird feathered crap attire there was no way she had the right to even look at this building let alone walk inside. Aki took an involuntary step back at the thought then glanced back to Ryuu from under her now matted bangs, her head hanging in shame.

* * *

Ryuu noticed Aki's sudden change in behavior and offered her a reassuring smile. He didn't want her to look down on herself like he was sure she was doing right now. He wanted to see the smile she hadn't shown him. He wanted to see what she would be like when she was clean , well fed, and happy. The poor girl was skin and bones. She had bags under her eyes that he hadn't noticed before and her dirty hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail. She didn't wear make-up, which was okay with him, but her face held a natural beauty that he was sure was hidden under the dirt and poop.

"Please follow me." he said with as much gentle concern as he could convey to her. Her head still hanging, she followed him like a lost stray puppy he might have saved from the streets. As they traveled through the lobby of the beautiful building he could notice her body language shrinking as if her mere presence offended any of the people there. If they disapproved of her they didn't show it though, because she was with him and everyone knew Ryuu's reputation of being overprotective of any and everything he held dear to him. They didn't know his relationship with her but they wouldn't risk the chance that she might be.

His little bundle followed him silently to the elevator as he pushed the button. She hadn't said a word since they left the cab and he was starting to get worried. They went up to his floor in silence which continued to get louder and more pronounced. By the time he unlocked his door his ears were ringing with the unspoken words.

"Well here we are." Ryuu said in an attempted ice breaker.

"The guest bathroom is down the hall and there is a room right across from it. There is a bed made up already. My room is at the end of that hallway." he said pointing at another hallway on the other side of his spacious living room and kitchen area. " Don't go through the bamboo doors and if you need anything at all please let me know."

* * *

Aki could do nothing but nod as this whole experience left her speechless. Everything around her was so spacious and clean. They luxurious beauty of his wall that was made of glass to see the night lit city was breathtaking and so was his high tech kitchen and massive sofa. The guy had two hallways and multiple rooms for cripes sake!

Still mind-blown she walked like a zombie to the bathroom and noticed the marble tiles and claw-foot and shower combo at the far end of the bath room. An exotic black marble sink with gold fixtures stood next to an exquisite hand carved oak cabinet which held the softest towels she had ever touched. She walked over to the tub and turned the water on and true to his word, it worked and was warm. There were plenty of soaps and shampoos near the tub with feminine fragrances to them which made her wonder if he had girl visitors often. Perhaps a little sister or an older one. Maybe he had a room mate or a girlfriend. She forgot to ask if he lived alone or not. Turning the water off as soon as the tub was full she allowed herself this one luxury of a warm luxurious bubble-bath and decided to ask him who else lived here after she became presentable again.

After about an hour and a half, Aki was finally clean. Her long red hair was the hardest to clean since it had matted up, but after thirty straight minutes of soaking and brushing and scrubbing with more yanking, she had finally brought back it's natural shine and washed out the feathers that had mixed with the dirt and unmentionables. She finally started to feel like this night was taking a turn for the better. She went to thank Ryuu for his hospitality. Her pride normally wouldn't allow her to do such a thing but he had been kinder to her than anyone else ever was and he deserved her thanks more than anyone else.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out to find Ryuu. When she walked out into the living room his mouth dropped to the floor and his eyes widened.

* * *

Ryuu knew Aki was pretty, but with her clean hair shining in fiery waves around her face to her hips he realized how big of an understatement 'pretty' was. This young woman was absolutely, without question, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his seventeen years of living. Her eyes sparkled and lit up with the fire in her soul. It didn't even matter that she stood in her modest black pajama pants and matching button up shirt. As soon as she walked out, his breath had caught and it was taking awhile for him to find it again.

She took a small step toward him and with the tiniest of smiled said, "Thank you for helping me Ryuu." in the sweetest voice he had ever heard.

"... No problem..." he choked out.

"Hey can I ask you a question?" she asked as she cocked her head to one side in an adorable pose.

"Of course you can."

" Do you have a little sister?"

Confused Ryuu answered, "No I don't."

"I see..." Aki said sounding a little dissapointed.

Confused Ryuu asked, "Why? What made you think I had a little sister?"

Aki looked up and that and replied, "Well you have a lot of girly soaps in your bathroom."

Then it hit him. "Ohhhhhh... No those belong to Megumi. She is like a little sister to be, but she and her brother often stay with me while their parents are overseas. They both had dates tonight, and were supposed to come back by ten, but their parents called and said they were to go to their parent's house after the dates. Mr. and Mrs. Yamamoto said they had already called to tell the twins."

"I see..." said Aki again, this time a little happier.

* * *

****So what did you think? I probably won't be able to get many chapters out this fast, but I was inspired this weekend so it just kinda worked out heh heh. Please review! Untill next time**

**-Later~***


	3. Chapter 3

**As I said in the last chapter, updates will not normally be that fast but I'll try to give myself a deadline so please bear with me and the inconsistencies. I would love to hear your thoughts and/or suggestions for this story so please review! Thanks and enjoy~~**

_'Where am I?'_

Aki woke to her alarm as usual, but her surroundings were different—cleaner and more spacious. No disgusting rats or… other vile creatures, plus she could actually fit on this bed that wasn't rotting away as she slept. Kami knew what gross things live in that mattress but Aki didn't, nor would she ever want to.

*knock knock* "I'm sorry if I woke you up," came a muffled voice from behind her door, "But, breakfast is ready and since you didn't eat much last night I thought you might be hungry. Please come eat when you're ready."

Ryuu...

All of last night's memories came rushing back to her. Memories of a horrible park with a vicious duck *shivers* meeting a strange young man who actually seemed concerned for her and that same boy allowing her to shower and stay at his apartment. Memories of an unwarranted stab of jealousy that vanquished as soon as she found out the female scents belonged to a little sister figure. Memories of laughter she never thought she would share with a man. Memories of the first peaceful sleep she'd had in years. And now, she had a new memory of that same man who took the initiative to make her breakfast before he even knew she had woken up.

"I'll be out in a few." she called back.

She quickly dressed in anticipation for the marvelous scents wafting in through her door. She couldn't remember the last time she had a real meal. One that didn't require three minutes in the microwave. And the person who made it... he was the other half of her anticipation. _"Stop thinking that right now! You know your mother thought the exact same thing about that despicable man who spawned you. Do you really want to end up like her. Do you want to be broken too?"_ No she didn't. She had to remind herself that this is the last moment she could afford to share with him. Then she would get back to her life, suckish though it may be. They could never be more then whatever it is they are now- momentary aquaintences.

As she made her way down the hallway she heard Ryuu moving around in the kitchen. It sounded as if he were setting the table.

"Ah, good morning!" he greeted cheerfully. The grin he shot her made her heart skip a beat. "I made pancakes, bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs, and a light fruit salad. Please sit down and help yourself." *growl* Aki flushed with embarrassment as her stomach gurgled so loud it literally echoed off the walls. Ryuu smiled a little wider and pulled out a chair for her. Aki sat down without looking at him or his endearing eyes and silently began to gather a small mountain of food onto her plate. Ryuu chuckled at her actions before joining her on the other side of the table so that he was facing her with a smirk still occupying his face.

Aki ate a little too quickly to satisfy her ravenous stomach that felt as if it were caving in on itself. "Would you like some juice?" asked Ryuu. Since her mouth was currently full of two bites of everything Ryuu had prepared for her, she decided the best course of action would be to nod. The green haired gentleman brought stood up and returned with a large glass of fresh pulp free orange juice, just like she liked it. She shot him a grateful grin after swallowing and took a gracious gulp of the tangy liquid.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked with a note of concern in his voice.

"Actually, I did. Very well. Thank you so much for letting me stay here for the night."

"Anytime you need a place to stay Aki, I'm here for you. You are more than welcome here anytime you wish to stay. Here," he said handing her a small piece of paper, "This is my personal phone number. You can call anytime that you like."

Unsure of what to say, Aki just stared at the small piece of paper in her hands and slowly unfolded it to see his perfect handwriting. He had not lied. She could hear the sincerity in his voice and this little piece of paper furthered the truth of his words. Moving her stare back to him she felt her eyes prick and sting with unshed tears. Her emotions overtook her as his actions softened her jaded heart. _"No way... He... He isn't lieing... He really means what he said."_

* * *

Confused, Ryuu stood up and walked around the table to hold this petite red head close in an effort to comfort her. Fat lot of good that did, she began to cry harder into his shoulder and he held her closer. He couldn't stand to see anyone in pain. Least of all a girl, especially this girl. Megumi's tears were bad enough and both her's and Aki's tore his heart apart in a way that was so agonizing he was having trouble breathing.

"Aki? What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked hearing the panic in his own voice.

She nodded into his shoulder and pulled back, her eyes shining. "Thank you." she croaked out. His heart clenched painfully. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Don't worry I'm alright. I just thought of something I shouldn't have..." she sniffed. Before he could ask her anything she glanced at the clock and her eyes instantly dried. _"Interesting... I've never seen a girl pull herself together so quickly." _Instead of pain he noticed the panic in her eyes sharp and clear. _"Or not..."_

* * *

"Crap I'm late!" Aki shouted.

She couldn't be late for school. Not again. This college promised to cancel her scholarship if she was late one more day and if they did that she would never be able to pay the full price of her education. That man would win.

"Aki?"

"I'm sorry Ryuu. I really have to go. Like, right now. And run. Fast." She said in between mouthfuls of food. No need for that beautiful breakfast to go to waste. Besides, she would definately need the energy.

After polishing off the plate she flew to her room and snatched up her bag before she took off toward the entrance to put on her shoes. Ryuu followed after her silently.

"...Will I ever see you again?" he asked hesitantly.

She paused for a moment before answering truthfully, "I don't know Ryuu, but I hope so." and with that she whisked out of his apartment and his life, leaving him there to stare after her. She couldn't afford to make time to look back at him. Instead she rushed out into the hallway of his apartment building making a mad dash down the stairs trying to get to school as fast as she could possibly run. She knew she was a fast runner, but it seems she was not fast enough.

"Miss Hayashima, you are aware of the time this class starts correct?" asked the beady eyed demon in disguise who called himself her teacher.

"Yes sir."

"And you are aware of the time you entered this classroom correct?" could there BE anymore disdain and disgust in his voice? Anymore disappointment as he looked down the rim of his thick nerdy glasses at her.

"Yes sir."

"Then you are also aware of our last agreement and what happens next." A statement this time.

She knew what was coming and dutifully, for the last time answered with her head bowed low in shame, "Yes sir..."

"Out. Now." The final words as her world came crumbling down around her.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Ryuu changed into his uniform and gathered up his backpack and slowly made his way to school. His mind was far away thinking of a petite red head who rushed out of his life as quickly as she rushed in. He could still feel her shaking frame in his arms as he held her not as a brother but as a man. He hoped she was alright. His stomach knotted in worry for her. She had left in such a panic, he wondered the cause. She said she was late, he assumed she went to a school, but still, she left at too early of an hour for any normal public school. Even his classes didn't start that early. He supposed she had to take some time to travel. Though he felt as though the reason of her leaving must have been justified, that thought did nothing to calm the new nerves of her making it to her destination in time. Kami he just couldn't keep himself from worrying about her, from thinking about her. She was the only thing on his mind as he continued his tedious trek to school.

"Hey Ryuu!" called Tadashi cheerfully. Ryuu blinked twice and studied his surroundings. He was in the S.A. greenhouse.

Looking back at Tadashi Ryuu forced a smile and answered his friend's greeting, "Good morning." he said less than enthusiastically.

"You okay?" asked Akira friendly concern in her strong purple gaze.

"Yeah I'm fine," said Ryuu, his fake smile still in place. She didn't seem to believe him, but said nothing. The next to question him was Hikari who recieved the same answer. Kei said nothing. Jun and Megumi thought it was their fault for leaving him alone last night, but because he had never reacted this way before when their parents came home, they still couldn't understand his strange low.

Jun was the first of the pair to approach him. "...R-Ryuu?" Started Jun in a small voice. Ryuu looked up to meet the young boy's worried stare. That brought him back to earth temporarily. He still had a job to do, protect these children. He couldn't leave them to live in his head with a red headed beauty who he might not ever see again.

With a little more effort Ryuu answered, "It's okay Jun. I'm alright. See?" he raised his arms to show they worked and smiled gently "Everything is working the way it should." The young boy let out a relieved sigh along with everyone else in the room other then Kei. Ryuu silently hoped they would stay that way throughout the day until he got over Aki, if he got over Aki.

He wished he could see her one last time. He wanted so badly to laugh with her again and hear her husky voice. Oh if only he could see her smile... _"She is so beautiful..."_ and with that thought he caught himself wondering if she had a boyfriend, but quickly banished the thought before his anger started rising. Then he wondered why he would get angry about that. Wouldn't it be a good thing if she had someone to love and take care of her? _"But it wouldn't be me..."_

Shocked by his thoughts Ryuu noticed his gaze was fixed absently at the floor and the entire S.A. was watching him again. He pulled himself out of his thoughts again to reassure them with a smile.

* * *

With no place to go Aki decided to put in some overtime at work. Her boss looked at her in surprise and asked, "Didn't you check your mailbox?"

A sharp stab of panic shot through her, "No..."

"You really need to go look."

_"That can't be good..."_ and sure enough there in her little mailbox was a pink slip letting her know that she had been fired from her job. No words could form in her head. Aki felt as though the floor was falling from underneath her. Nothing could support her. No one, nothing, that is all she has now, nothing but her backpack. She didn't bother going to her apartment. There was no point when all they would do is kick her out since today was the last day she had to pay her rent and she was currently six-feet under in the money department. But Aki was nothing but persistent Everything she owned was in this backpack so there was no need to collect her things. She decided to live in parks until the weather got cold and figure out what to do from there. She couldn't call Ryuu who had already been too kind to her. She didn't have a phone and couldn't afford to use payphones. Though it would have been nice to stop by his apartment, she didn't even remember where that was. Dejected she did the only thing she could do, go search for two things, work and a school.

* * *

Ryuu went home with the twins, avoiding any and all parks lest he be reminded of her. He was going on a new record for time spent not thinking of her, a whole two seconds that he just broke... The pair had been worrying about him all day and did everything they could think of to cheer him up- singing, dancing, joke telling, cooking, making weird faces, reenacting plays, putting random animals in his lap, stunts, they even made Tadashi get shot through a cannon. Nothing worked. All Ryuu could think about was Aki and how much he missed her and how confused he was for missing her so much. He stop trying to banish her from his head about half way through the day when he realized how futile that would be.

Suddenly, Kei was there. The twins gasped which was what made Ryuu look up. "We need to talk." Kei said in his deep voice that would not be denied, "Now."

"Okay." Ryuu answered absently.

Soon the two guys were sitting by a river that cut through the edge of the city. Kei was the first to speak.

"What happened Ryuu? I've never seen you act in such a way. Everyone is worried about you."

Ryuu looked up, "Kei... "

"What is it?"

"It's this girl..."

"A girl?!" Kei replied blatantly shocked by that much of a confession.

"Yeah... I helped her last night when I found her filthy in a park. We picked up her stuff and I let her stay at my place for the night. We started talking and laughing..." Ryuu trailed off with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Then, after I told her I would be there for her she started crying and I held her. Right after that she looked at the clock, freaked out, and ran away without saying goodbye..." Ryuu let his head fall to his knees to rest. He looked up at Kei who was about to speak.

"I see." was all he said as an odd light in his eyes.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about her Kei. I can't help it. I'm so worried about her, but if I don't stop I'll end up like today and leave the twins alone. They still need me Kei. I can't just leave them like that again."

"It sounds like a Cinderella story Ryuu. You're the fairy godmother and prince all wrapped up into one. It sounds to me like you've fallen in love with this girl."

Ryuu only stared in shock and disbelief.

"Ryuu?"

"... "

"Ryuu!"

Blinking, Ryuu slowly looked up at Kei again his face twisting into a pained grimace. "You're right Kei... What do I do?"

"That's not for me to say. You need to figure that out on your own and rather quickly I'd say."

The way Ryuu saw it he had two choices. Try to find and keep her, or forget her. Sighing he stood with a determined glint in his deep emerald orbs knowing the answer was already decided. Kei watched him curiously. "Thank you Kei." Ryuu said as he bowed low and took off running to find his petite red headed beauty.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Things are picking up a bit... I hope you're enjoying my story! Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Blah blah blah everyone knows I don't own Special A. only Aki is mine and this particular story-line blah blah blah and onward to the story!**

Ryuu ran. Day after day as soon as he could and whenever he was able he would run. "Find Aki. Find Aki. Find Aki." His mind would chant over and over again.

He didn't understand how he had fallen in love with Aki in such a short amount of time, but he did. Her mesmerizing dual colored eyes, her sense of humor, how she could be happy one minute and break down the next before whisking out of his life again; everything he had learned about her so far hung heavy on his mind. Somehow just that small amount of time wasn't enough for him. Ryuu wanted more. Ryuu normally didn't ask for anything, he didn't want much and provided what he needed for himself. A simple man really. But that didn't stop him from wanting to be in Aki's company.

His desperation to see her again and assure with his own eyes of her safety is what drove him to chase after her every day, night, and morning. His gut was telling him she was in trouble, just not why. His worry increased with every passing day and his panic mounted so high he barely slept despite the exhaustion brought on by running.

"Aki…Where are you?"

Ryuu could not shake the bad feeling in his gut. His instincts had brought on the insecurity, but checking every room in her apartment complex fueled it. None of the people who lived there knew who she was except for the exceptionally old-yet harsh and somewhat violent- landlady. That short woman had smacked him so hard with her broom he could still feel a bump and bruise combo three days later. He couldn't blame her though, he was disturbing the residents by knocking on all of their doors and running carelessly around the building and she didn't want to deal with their complaints anymore. She became much more understanding after he had a chance to explain his situation to her. It was then he found out Aki had been evicted.

Ryuu felt numb with shock. Nothing could reach him. There were no words or actions that could succeed in breaking his hollow shell of a being. He couldn't remember leaving the old lady's office. He didn't know why his hand was bleeding with broken knuckles or where he was. He didn't know why he ran out of the landlady's home or why he was in the park where he had met Aki. He didn't know why the tree next to him had a huge indent in its trunk or why none of the animals had dared to approach him. He lost his ability to think. Then a faint familiar shape formed before him followed by a deep baritone voice calling his name. Everything went black.

* * *

"What do I do now?" asked a petite and filthy red head with haunting blue and brown eyes. Aki had lost everything. Her home, family, job, and education. Granted, just about everything on that list sucked supremely, but it was all she had ever known. Harshness in people and hard work that just barely paid off. She had no luck in finding any other jobs and hell would freeze over twenty times over as she became a gorgeous model millionaire before she dared going back to her lousy father or any one else with his genes. No sir, this stubborn female would sit happily miserable homeless on a bench that she had been sleeping under for the past week which was located in a clearing in some random forest she wandered into.

This feisty red head was by no means lazy. She left her bench everyday until after dark had long since settled around her looking for a job or school that would take her. Her people skills weren't the best and she smelled worse then a skunk that had been rolling in a landfill. Most people could smell her before she came into view and ran for the hills thus eliminating the chance to even ask for an application or interview. She would bathe in a public place, but all she could find was a slimy pond in the park where her bench home was.

"Gross, but better then nothing," she said to herself as she mentally prepared herself to jump in fully clothed. This way she could change into her only other set of clothes and the wet ones could drip dry on her bench and hopefully be some degree cleaner then they previously were. The water was cold around her, but refreshing to her grimy state. She didn't feel clean per-say, but again, better then nothing. Once she finished she changed into her other set of dirty clothes and curled up on top of her wet ones to prevent them from getting stolen. Tonight would be another freezing miserable night, just what she needed.

Despite it all, she still had a single ray of light in her mind. Only one.

"Ryuu..." she whispered softly to herself.

He was the only comforting thought she had as she suffered alone in the darkness each night. His smile and soothing baritone voice still haunted her mind and brought a small smile to her lips. She missed his laugh and company. He was the only man who had ever shown her any kindness.

Suddenly a thought came to her._ "Didn't Ryuu say he goes to a private school named Hakusenkan?"_ It was the best high school around, even she knew that much, and awhile back they had tried to recruit her;however, she turned them down because she had already been accepted into a college. None of the schools around here would give her the time of day, but maybe Hakusenkan would since they already tried to recruit her. With that thought and a smiling green haired man in her mind, Aki began to doze off into the first peaceful sleep she would have in about a month.

"HIYA!" screaming Aki punched the startling figure in front of her before hearing another voice, this one angry and somewhat more feminine, yelling at the person responsible for waking her.

"TADASHI YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND SCARING PRETTY GIRLS!"

As Aki's eyes adjusted to the new morning light shining through the cracks of her bench she noticed a shaggy brunette being strangled by a pretty violet pixie-cut girl. Aki rubbed her eyes again to be sure she was processing the scene in front of her properly. When she opened her dual eyes again what she saw was even more unbelievable. The shaggy haired man was being thrown into the pond that was at least 100 yards away. Suddenly the girl was in front of her. Aki flinched back a bit and climbed out from under her bench-home taking into consideration how deceptively strong she just witnessed this chick to be along with her frightening temper.

"Why hello there young kitty-chan. Aren't you lovely?" said the violet haired lady politely _"Whoa that was a fast change..." _"I am very sorry for that flaming moron over there, please excuse his rudeness you see he is actually my boyfriend through some sad twist of fate."

"I see..." said Aki cautiously still waiting for the bipolar temper to emerge again.

"If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here? I thought only Tadashi knew about this place."

" Well, if you don't mind ME asking, who are you people?" replied Aki rather rudely. So far only Ryuu had been able to question her without her temper and suspicion flaring up too much and this chick certainly was not Ryuu.

"Oh pardon me! My manners aren't with me this morning I'm sorry!" said the lady not bothered by Aki's blatant rudeness and suspicion in the least. "My name is Akira Toudou and the dripping idiot over there is my boyfriend Tadashi Karino. We both go to Hakusenkan just a few miles from here. He's actually the chairman of the school's stupid son."

Now _that_ little bit of intel got Aki's ears perked up real fast. "You go to Hakusenkan? I was just about to walk over and see if they would accept me as a student... but I guess I don't look that serious do I?" Aki said looking down at her pitiful appearance.

Akira thought for a moment then asked, "Hakusenkan is miles away from here, what made you decide to try there?"

"Well...," Aki blushed, "There's this guy I met who goes there and told me about it and I remembered they invited me awhile back. Since I'm kinda out of options at the moment I thought y'know might give it a go and see how it works out."

Akira's eyes lit up with a scary brilliance that set Aki on edge as soon as there was mention of a boy, "WHO?" she demanded.

"Y-you probably d-don't k-know him..." Aki stuttered nervously. Those eyes were seriously freakin' her out.

"Who?" Akira demanded again.

After a much needed deep breath, Aki managed to calmly whisper, "...Ryuu..."

Both Tadashi and Akira's jaws dropped to the ground. Tadashi actually fell over, but Akira either didn't care or was too stunned to notice.

"Come with me." the purple haired beauty demanded with no room for argument as she snatched Aki's hand and hauled her off leaving Tadashi to scramble after to catch up.

Soon the trio was out of the woods and into a clearing where a shiny black limo waited with a sharply dressed chauffeur proudly holding the door open for the ladies, but only the ladies. Tadashi gleefully strode over to his sparkling red Harley and easily slid on with his leathers and helmet, not affected at all by the beating Akira gave him for scaring Aki.

The red head simply stood and stared at the sleek black vehicle in front of her, mildly stunned, but more so suspicious of Akira who she just met. Aki didn't know how well she could trust these people and jumping into a car with strangers is not the kind of habit she wanted to get into. Their eyes showed some recognition earlier when she mentioned Ryuu's name which told Aki the three were acquainted. That much didn't surprise her considering they went to the same school and looked to be about the same age, but with only a flicker of recognition, Aki couldn't gauge what their relationship was. For all she knew, they could be dragging her off to attack her and leave her in some ditch just for spite of her knowing Ryuu, but they couldn't possibly know her relationship with him. SHE didn't even know her relationship with him.

As a flurry of thoughts, suspicions, and concerns flooded AKi's mind, she missed Akira grabbing her elbow and directing her to the limo chattering away about fixing her up at her place.

* * *

Ryuu came to in Kei's house the next morning unable to remember anything from last night after hearing of Aki's eviction. The thought caused him to begin zoning out again, but this time Kei made his presence more well known by coughing.

"Good morning. How is your hand? You damaged it pretty badly when you attacked that tree."

Confused, Ryuu looked down at his clenched fist to see his bandaged knuckles bleeding through the gauze Kei had wrapped. "It's fine thank you." Ryuu answered modestly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"It was no trouble at all." Kei said waving off Ryuu's comment, "That's what friends are for right?"

"Right..." Ryuu said with a sad smile lingering on his lips.

"Should I ask what that was about last night or leave it as something to do with this Aki and leave you alone?"

"I would prefer not to talk about it.." Ryuu replied still staring at his still clenched fist. "When do we need to go to school?"

"Pretty soon. I'll give you thirty minutes to shower and get dressed. I've already prepared a uniform for you to change into and the bathroom is behind you. I hope everything is to your liking." Kei said as he walked proudly out of the room. Ryuu simply sat for a moment letting reality sink in. His Aki really was in trouble and he couldn't be there for her. He remembered her rough laughter ringing in his ear and his stomach clenched painfully at the thought of not hearing that melody anymore, and to make matters worse, he knew she was suffering alone, but this time he couldn't find her to help. She didn't have much before, but she had even less now. Ryuu desperately wanted to comfort her and take care of her. Even if she chose not to stay he at least wanted to know of her safety. One small sign to tell him she would be okay, that no one had hurt her more than her past demons he knew she had.

Sighing in defeat, Ryuu pushed himself up off of the bed and made his way to the mahogany hand carved door that led to the impressive, up to date black marble bathroom. As Ryuu walked in he took a moment to distract his thoughts by taking a moment to appreciate his surroundings. On the far end stood a clawfoot bathtub-shower combo with a basket of towels near enough to reach but far enough to remain dry. Above the towels was a hanger where a neatly hung uniform rested. On the left wall stood a black marble sink with golden faucets and a mirror framed with a delicate yet intricate swirling black design. Ryuu quickly showered and changed then went to go find Kei who was waiting for him by the front door which was another hand carved masterpiece.

"Shall we go then?"

"Sure."

Soon enough the pair arrived at the greenhouse just before Hikari crashed through the door. _"Of course that's why Kei wanted to leave his house at exactly that moment. They must've had another contest."_ Ryuu thought to himself. Sure enough soon the couple were arguing as they did every morning, though Ryuu could tell they really loved each other through the looks on their faces. Kei's was soft and his eyes lit up as they did for no one but Hikari who like-wise held a similar look in her eyes and a fitting blush to her cheeks. Ryuu wondered whether or not he looked at Aki that way. He didn't know if people made those faces when they didn't know they were in love.

Suddenly a thought came to mind, "Where are Akira and Tadashi? Shouldn't they be here by now?" Ryuu asked. He knew June and Megumi spent their mornings with Sakura-chan and Yahiro since they went to different schools though the twins still spent tea-time and the afternoons with everyone in S.A. in the greenhouse.

"Now that you mention it," said Hikari looking around with her hand shading her eyes, "they should be here by now. Akira said they were taking a walk in Tadashi's woods though, maybe something happened. Hmmmmm, well it's alright. As long as they have each other they'll be alright!" Hikari said smiling glancing at Kei who was gazing at her affectionately.

Smiling Ryuu said, "Yeah, you're probably right.." Though Ryuu was a bit worried, he knew the pair were safe together. Besides, his thoughts worried more over a certain red haired, dual eyed, feisty beauty that he knew was in trouble and needed him. The helplessness he felt tore him apart with guilt, yet he did not let the happy couple before him see his inner anguish. Then the bell rang signalling the trio to go to their first class. As they exited the greenhouse, Ryuu looked up longingly at the sky.

"Aki where are you?" whispered a sad green haired man so softly, not even the air had heard him.

* * *

"So can she stay? Please?" begged two unison voices as they stared at the dark figure before them that switched between analyzing the paperwork before her, and the smaller figure beside the voices.

"Better than that, say hello to the newest member of the Special A. class."

**So what did you think?! Let me know in a review if ya get the chance. I'd like to take this moment to thank my first follower (you know who you are) for reading. Thanks a bunch!  
****Until next time**

**See ya!~~**


	5. Chapter 5

_****Here we are chapter five! woo hoo! Thank you to all of my new followers and story favorites I really apreciate your support and thank you to my silent readers as well. Enough thank you's Onto story!****_

Ryuu's day seemed to drag on forever, even longer than usual, as he sat through each pointless class thinking only of Aki and how worried he was about her well-being. He remembered once again her tears of him simply telling her he would be there for her. If just that little gesture meant so much to her, then what must it be like for her to not have that at all? He gave her his number, but with the things that could be happening to her, he wouldn't be surprised if she lost it. Maybe she threw it away and didn't think of it… or him. That thought broke his heart, but even if that were true, he would still want to help her. Just a little. Just until he knew she was safe and stable so his heart could rest easy, but he knew better. Unless he could always keep an eye on her and always know she was alright, he would never rest easy. Somehow he already loved her too much.

"RYUU!" the green haired guy looked up at the teacher calling him who appeared to be quite an interesting shade of purplish-red.

"Sir, are you alright?" asked the typical gentleman as Hikari gaped in surprise, Kei smirked obviously amused, while both June and Megumi stared at him with an odd mixture of worry and suppressed giggles. Confused, Ryuu looked back at his now even more purple-faced teacher who was clearly upset.

"Young man I have been calling your name for the better part of these last five minutes and you only just acknowledged me! Why don't you discuss your actions to the principal and tell me what you've figured out in detention this afternoon. That means no greenhouse visit until seven."

"I understand sir. I am truly very sorry for not paying attention." Ryuu responded. He stood with his things and stared at the ground as his already downcast mood plummeted further still. "_Now I won't have as much time to search for Aki and the twins are crashing at my place_ again…" sigh "What_ am I going to do?"_

* * *

"You are going to love it here I promise! The S.A. is definitely the best class in the best school. You're so lucky you got in on a scholarship!"

"I wonder how you're gonna to do on the upcoming exams. You haven't been ranked yet, but still made it into the Special A program. That's unbelievable!"

"You're going to be the talk of the school! Such a pretty girl like you is going to be popular with the boys, but don't worry! I will keep those moronic creatures off of you. Except maybe that one." said the first voice with a wink.

Blushing a pretty redhead continued to walk silently following after the pair in front of her as they headed toward her first class in her new school while wearing her new uniform. The violet haired girl tried to make her wear her hair down claiming that her loose waves suited her facial structure better, but Aki didn't want EVERYTHING about her life to change. Her hair would be a mess by the end of the day and would irritatingly tangle in just about everything it touched while loose so it was better to just keep it up in her signature pony tail.

Soon enough the trio walked into a comfortable little room where the S.A. class was taught. They were greeted by four pairs of curious eyes as the teacher turned to greet them.

"Miss Toudou, Mr. Karino I expect you know where your seats are." The gleeful pair practically pranced over to their roomy desk accompanied by a plush chair far fancier then Aki had ever seen before. " And who might you be young miss?"

"I am Aki Hayashima, the new member of S.A. Nice to meet you all." Aki said politely as she bowed respectfully to her teacher and new classmates.

* * *

Ryuu grew sick of sitting in the chairman's office. The woman knew him well enough to acknowledge the oddity of him being in her office and knew he had been running around desperately for whatever reason after and before school each and every day for awhile now. She expected to see him in here soon enough, but for skipping class not ignoring the teacher. Then again, that particular teacher was known to send just about anyone to her office for ignoring him, including other teachers and straight-A students like Ryuu.

"Ryuu this isn't like you. Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's going on?"

"With all due respect 'mam, yes I am sure. Please tell me my punishment so I can go back to class."

"Alright then, but there will be no going back to class today. You look too worn out and you know you'll just be back here in a matter of minutes. Instead you are to spend the rest of the day in the nurse's office resting until the final bell rings. After that, go collect your missed lessons from your friends and do as you please. Don't let those grades drop." replied the chairman with an odd glint in her eyes as if she were holding back some sort of secret he should know.

"Yes 'mam." Ryuu knew this was uncharacteristically kind of the chairman, especially since Ryuu knew of Tadashi's unusual phobia of bungee chords, and he wondered why she would let him off so easily. The chairman always had ulterior motives when it came to decisions on how to punish her students whether it was doing some sort of job she didn't want to do or something else sadistic for her own entertainment. There was really no telling what kind of punishment she would deliver. Her typical method of picking was to write down ideas of punishments and putting them up on a dart board to choose randomly... or not so randomly.

Still dejected and worried sick about Aki, Ryuu sluggishly made his way to the nurse's office. He could often be found helping the kind old lady who worked there with various odd jobs since he knew a ton about various medications thanks to taking care of animals all his life, but he was not often a patient himself. He walked in to find the average sized room empty of patients or the nurse. Glancing up at the clock above the door he knew this was the kind nurse's lunch hour. The green-haired guy decided to crack open the large window on the other side of the room to air out the space. Not that it was stuffy or anything, but the stench of antibiotics was just a little strong and the breeze would feel welcoming to any incoming patients.

With nothing better to do and deciding it was best to just follow the chairman's orders so she wouldn't hunt him down later, she would too, Ryuu decided the most logical course of action would be to just lie down and sleep. If he slept, maybe the day would pass by faster and he could get on with finding Aki after gathering his lessons and answering the questions of his fellow S.A. friends.

So, that's exactly what Ryuu did, er tried to do. He went over to the bed designated to sickly students and lied down then proceeded to close his eyes. The problem was, he was so anxious about Aki, he couldn't manage to sleep.

"Well this is just_ FAN-FRIGGIN'-TASTIC_..." he muttered to himself.

* * *

After the bell rang for class to end, Aki found herself surrounded by the other members of the S.A. class. All but one were fascinated with her and who she was and gathered around asking questions, including Akira and Tadashi who brought her here in the first place.

"Would you guys give the girl some air? She appears to be quite overwhelmed with you all surrounding her as if she were some sort of foreigner." said the -fairly thin tan-haired boy who stood behind the others. At his statement the others glanced at each other as if they were shocked to see the others there and quickly backed off. Well all but one of course. The cheerful girl that remained had hair as long as Aki's but hers was black and at least behaved better then the red-head's did when it was loose. It simply stayed straight and perfect as Aki stared in a sort of wondered jealousy. The girl also had a cheeky grin that made her jet eyes sparkle, it was upon this observation that Aki realized exactly how near this girl was and started to panic at her close proximity and invasion of Aki's personal space as their noses nearly touched. "Hikari, would you mind taking three steps away from Miss Hayashima? I'm the only one you're allowed to kiss." the boy said again, this time the girl named Hikari blushed a crimson red and quickly turned to face the boy who had spoken.

"Wha- What w-was that T-Takishima?!" she sputtered out.

"Ah, Ah, Ahhh... you are supposed to address your _boyfriend_ by his first name." he replied with a smirk.

"K-k-Kei!" she stuttered again as her blushed deepened.

Aki was a bit speechless at their interaction. She had never seen a couple get along so well together even when they were fighting. In that instanced she deemed Hikari to be the typical childish, happy-go-lucky, rainbows and crap type and Kei to be the overly formal smart-ass who knew exactly what a demon he was and enjoyed it. _"How two people of that polar difference can stay together is beyond me.."_ Aki thought to herself.

Just then a petite girl with long wavy brown hair approached her with a sketchbook in her hands that read _**HI! :) WELCOME TO THE SPECIAL A**_** CLASS~** Aki was just a little weird-ed out at this point. Then the girl flipped the page **_WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR ME_ _SING?~_** before Aki could answer a different person had read the card and quickly rushed over and shouted no. He was also a small boy who had short brown hair to match the girl's. They looked like the same person in different genders so Aki thought it was safe to assume the two were twins. They boy turned toward the red-head and smiled apologetically then glanced around.

"Hey," he began, "Why isn't Ry-"

"How about we all go to the greenhouse and make proper introductions there over tea and cakes?" Akira interrupted before the boy could finish his question.

"YAY FOOD!"

"Sounds good."

"Alright!"

_**YAY AKIRA-CHAN'S**_** TEA~~**

"Agreed."

And thus they all exited the classroom dragging the trapped red-head along with them without asking for her consent.

* * *

"Ryuu what are you doing in here? You usually don't come around unless I ask for some help. Sweety are you feeling alright?"

"I'm alright thank you for asking." Blinking Ryuu rose up from the bed with the groggy remains of sleep. _"Huh, when did I fall asleep?"_ Then a thought occurred to him as he looked around noticing some longer shadows on the floor. "What time is it?!"

"School just ended. Your little friends should be in the greenhouse by now. I'm sure you've missed some lessons, why don't you go get your lessons from them?" suggested the sweet old nurse with short curly grey hair giving him her signature affectionate grin.

"Thanks. I think I'll do that." replied Ryuu with a forced smile. He didn't want to worry the kind lady further and he'd already been burden enough to her.

"You're welcome to come visit me any time deary! It's always a treat to see you. Take care!"

Ryuu stood up and made his way to the greenhouse across school. He knew he should be rushing but daytime naps always left him slow moving. By the time he would get to the greenhouse he knew his energy would return and his search for his precious Aki could continue.

* * *

"So now that you are one of us, how did you get here?" Kei asked with an intense stare that made Aki a little more than uncomfortable. Okay, she was just plain creeped out.

"Uhhhh that's a long story and no offese but I'm not telling you squat bud so you'd better pick a different tone sir."

Everyone just stared at her. _"Jeez! These people with the eye staring thing! Say something already! This silence is killing me!"_

"No one has ever talked back to Kei like that... even Hikari didn't go that far..." Tadashi said clearly shocked at her vicious outburst.

"AKIIIIII YOU'RE MY HERO! WAY TO TELL OFF THAT DEMON KEI!" squealed Akira while clinging onto Aki with giant tears streaming down her face. _"Uhhh okay now there's touching AND staring."_

"Um Tadashi? Isn't this _YOUR_ job?" Aki asked. Despite her attempts she couldn't pry Akira off of her.

"...Akira? C-could you please l-let go of A-Aki-chan?" Tadashi asked hesitantly while hiding behind Hikari. His shock at Aki's outburst temporarily forgotten while watching his demon-woman girlfriend burst into tears.

"Not to interrupt or anything but where is R-" Hikari started.

"HELLO EVERYONE! DID YOU MISS ME MY BEAUTIFUL HIKARI-CHAAAAAN~~~~~" screamed an obnoxious nasely tenner voice from behind a bush. Aki noted Kei's sudden change in mood. Now he was quite frightening and Aki desperately wanted to run away. She didn't like people as a general rule, but guys were a different story thanks to that pathetic excuse of a father. An angry guy was even worse and Kei just turned into her worst nightmare.

"IT'S ME! YOUR BELOVED STUDENT COUNSEL PRESIDENT!" said the voice that now revealed himself as a nerdy, skinny, dork of sorts with noodle arms that were currently wrapped around his bony build in some weird wiggly self-hug.

"That is gross on so many levels." Aki mumbled.

"WHO WAS THAT?!" shouted the student counsel president looking around wildly. Then his eyes rested on Aki and much to her displeasure a creepy blush crept across his face and his nose started to bleed.

"Ew... you know you could stop shouting anytime now." she replied crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. Akira had let go to cling onto Hikari instead as soon as she heard the president's voice. No one else dared to speak either out of disgust or shock or possibly a mixture. At that point Aki didn't really care.

"Ah yes... my mistake and um..." said the disgusting wiggly boy who now squirmed even more and blushed a deeper scarlet as he began his suggestion, "maybe we could go out sometime young beautiful red-haired mystery girl I know of this lovely cafe just a few blocks from here we could-"

"Stop." Aki cut in, "Stop right there."

"Aww come on," he pleaded, "come with me mystery girl." he said as he dared to wrap his arm around her shoulders, " While we're out you can tell me your name." he said trying to lead her away and wagging his eyebrows at her.

"Her name is Aki!" came an outraged, booming baritone voice from the door of the greenhouse, " and she is MINE!"

* * *

_****Finally finished chapter 5! If you'd like please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks again for reading and I'll try to put another chapter up real soon. Until then**_

_**~~Later~~**_


	6. Chapter 6

_***Hi everyone! I'm really sorry about the wait. Lot's of things going on, forgot about it, and had to decide how far to go. Hope you like it!***_

Depressed, Ryuu made his was over to the greenhouse trying desperately to work up the energy to move just a little faster. Why did he have to get so worked up over a girl? How did he manage to fall in love so quickly? It made about as much sense as Aki crying in his arms over a simple act of kindness. Oh how he wished he could be with her now...

"WHO WAS THAT?!" came a distinct voice not too far away. Ryuu instantly recognized it as the student council president's voice and involuntarily cringed. Looking up he realized he was almost at the door to the lively greenhouse though at the moment he didn't want to be. No one in their right mind would want to be in that room with a wiggling freak and a very angry Kei. Yeah the greenhouse wasn't exactly small by any definition of the word, but no room would ever be big enough when Kei's mighty temper flared up.

"Ew... You know you can stop shouting anytime now."

"No... It can't be..." Ryuu's heart stopped and time seemed to pass by slower then he could ever remember. After hearing that voice echo in his head so many times, hearing her husky laughter, the most magical conversation in his life came from the precious owner of that melodic voice. "Aki..." Ryuu whispered.

"Ah yes... my mistake and um..." said the student council president reminding Ryuu of his existence. A sharp pang ripped through him and he couldn't help but wonder if this was what Kei felt when that slime ball talked to Hikari, but that thought quickly vanished with the next daring statement made. "maybe we could go out sometime young beautiful red-haired mystery girl" he continued. The nerve of that twerp trying to pick up on HIS Aki. No way in Hell! There was no way Ryuu was handing his feisty red head over to a no good dweeb that couldn't take care of her.

A dark rage began to envelope Ryuu and it's black aura was plainly visible to any who were brave enough to glance his way. Ryuu was standing on the other side of the door with his bangs shrouding his eyes. All of his powerful muscles were tense and at the ready to strike out. It took all of his willpower to stay put in an attempt to calm down. Rarely was he ever to angered. Rarely would he hover on this breaking point. He knew there would be no going back if he lashed out and he wasn't sure if even Kei could stop him this time should he break.

"I know of this lovely cafe just a few blocks from here we could-"

A small growl left Ryuu's throat.

"Stop." Aki cut in, "Stop right there."

_"That's my girl." _Ryuu thought proudly. Deciding to go in, he silently opened the door still trying to calm down. No one had noticed him yet.

"Aww come on," he pleaded, "come with me mystery girl." he said as he dared to wrap his arm around her shoulders, " While we're out you can tell me your name." he said trying to lead her away and wagging his eyebrows at her.

That did it. Ryuu couldn't leash in his fury anymore. The wild beast took over and he found himself roaring the words, "Her name is Aki! and she is MINE!"

At that exact moment all eyes were on him each set was shocked at his sudden entrance, but Ryuu didn't care. His long legs crossed the distance of the large room in mere seconds and soon the student council president was up off of the floor flying through the air and landing with a crash into some thorny rose bushes, but Ryuu couldn't care less. In fact he was quite pleased to see the weasel squirming in pain instead of a pervy habit. As soon as that freak was out of his way he looked into the most beautiful dual colored eyes he had ever seen and was instantly calmed at her safety. Too calmed. Too relieved. A sudden exhaustion came over him and he sank to his knees powerless. The beast in him had been tamed by those eyes; a beast he had forgotten about since it so rarely emerged.

"You're safe." he whispered. "Thank God you're safe..." Ryuu said as a single tear fell from his hidden eyes. "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found you Aki." he whispered again. His audience forgotten. No one else mattered at the moment. Not Hikari or Kei or even the twins. The only person who mattered at that moment was Aki. There she stood in front of him. She was clean and he knew Akira well enough to assume she had been fed well enough and she was wearing an S.A. uniform. "I heard about some... things you had to go through recently from your landlady and I was so worr-...Wait... You're in S.A.?"

"Um... yeah" she said crouching down to join him. "I'm here. The uh chairman said my grades were high enough to get into S.A. though my rank has yet to be decided." Aki said a little shyly. He knew she didn't show this shy side normally and felt proud that she would to him. Because she allowed herself to be vulnerable to him, he knew she was giving him a chance to protect her and comfort her. Ryuu made a silent promise to do just that. A vow unto himself and one he had no intention to break.

"Well Ryuu that was quite a show well done, however, how are you going to explain that," said Kei pointing to a knocked out weirdo, " to said chairman?"

"Harassment." replied Aki

"We have plenty of witnesses and he had tried to harass poor Hikari-chan earilier too." chimed in June.

_**"Plus he deserved it"**_

"Unless Mr. Student Council President would like to go up against all of the S.A." said Kei with a demonic glint to his eye.

Ryuu noticed Aki's flinch at Kei's anger and reached out to hold her hand discreetly. He felt her cringe again at his touch then relax as she noticed who had touched her. She allowed him to continue and returned the favor with a grateful squeeze before letting go. He knew she wasn't used to any shows of affections and didn't want anyone else to see her showing anything that could possibly be used against her.

"EEP! Uh... Well... You're beloved student council president will now be returning to his busy busy work. Until then my lovelies!" said the wiggly monster as his cronies swept him up and dashed out of the greenhouse.

_**"What a**_**_ freak..."_**

"You said it." agreed Aki.

Kei simply stared knowingly at Ryuu as the two sent silent messages back and forth. Ryuu told Kei to give him and Aki some privacy from the rest of the group. Kei understood his need to talk with this intriguing redhead and reassured Ryuu that he would take care of the others somehow. Ryuu nodded his head in recognition and thanks.

"Hikari we should try a challenge outside for once. Perhaps landscaping this round. If I win, you must publicly prove your love for me." Kei said suddenly with a smirk.

"I ACCEPT! IF I WIN YOU MUST ADMIT DEFEAT TO ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE IN THE SCHOOL AND ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AT THE SAME TIME!"

"That was quite specific Hikari." June said

"That's because she knows Kei would bend the rules if he won." Akira replied.

"Who will be out judges?" the eager girl asked.

"I vote Aki and Ryuu!" Tadashi suggested.

"June, Akira, and Megumi will be our judges. All have an appreciation for the arts and Akira especially has an eye for landscaping seeing as she loves outdoor tea parties. The categories will be based off of initial appearance, functionality, and flow and our location is the empty space behind the greenhouse to be used for outdoor tea and small parties." Kei concluded.

"FINE BY ME!" Hikari chimed confidently, "When do we start?"

"Now! We have until sundown tomorrow to finish."

* * *

With that final statement of Kei's, all but two left to rush outside and watch. Ryuu literally held Aki back as she turned around in his arms to stare at his complex expressions waiting for him to explain. She knew he needed a moment to gather thoughts and questions before speaking.

_"He must be furious with me... after I left him like that and didn't say a word to him. Really what was I thinking? That he would be happy to see me? To spend every day with me when he's probably sick of my face by now. Yeah he said I was his and all but that could just be his protective nature. I'm sure he would do the same for that Megumi girl. It's not like I'm special to him... But he held my hand too... maybe... just maybe... he-"_

"Where have you been?" asked Ryuu disrupting her thoughts.

"Uh... well..." she mumbled noting the tenseness in his voice.

"Well...?" he inquired a little more gently. Just that shift in tone went a long way in helping Aki calm down. She couldn't stand for any male to be angry especially when she was the source of said anger. The only thing she could think of at that point was her father and how he had beaten her and her mother in all of his drunken rages. She had never understood why her mother stayed but resented her for it none the less. If only that woman had left him... then they could have had a chance to be happy together. Did she fear that man? Did she even care for her only daughter? What kind of sick logic went into staying with someone as vicious as that man? That filthy, rotten, horrendous... man.

As Aki mentally seethed at her past she didn't notice Ryuu's clever eyes taking in every subtle yet powerful emotion that had passed over her face. She did not notice his slow movements that brought him physically closer to her or his hand and arm that wrapped around her shoulders and held her other hand. He was gentle and careful with her so as not to startle her, but she did not notice until a few minutes had passed and the sounds of cheering from the S.A. class outside shook her out of those dreadful thoughts. Even then she did not pull away. She had never been held in such an intimate way. No one had cared enough to comfort her, but him. He did this of his own free will and she knew it.

His warmth seeped into her skin through their uniforms as his spicy manly scent intoxicated her senses. Did she dare to look at him? She wondered what kind of face he would show her. What kind of loving face could match an embrace like this? The curiosity drove her to subconciously move her head directing her eyes to the sight of Ryuu's tender smile. One without pity or anger. One that was not biting or cruel. One that really did match the loving way he held her. One that would have made her weak at the knees had they not been sitting.

_"When did we end up on the floor?"_

"Aki..." he called

"...Huh?" she replied dumbly. Her mind had shut off all other functioning words right when she desperately needed them most.

"Aki." he said again and pulled her even closer to him. Her face smothered by his warm chest now as his arms continued to wrap all the way around her. Not knowing what to do she slowly and awkwardly mimicked his arms and held him close to her.

"So this is what it feels like to be loved..." she whispered.

"Yes. I won't let you leave me again Aki. Please don't leave again. Please don't leave me.." he begged.

She shook her head and whispered, "I promise."

With that Ryuu pulled back to stare into her eyes. She hoped he saw the sincerity there that she was surprised she had. Slowly his head came closer to hers and she felt his breath on her cheeks. She could feel the warmth radiating from his cheeks as he came even nearer. Both were blushing, but neither wanted to break this moment. Neither made a move both afraid of the other's reaction.

Aki felt herself close the distance as she gently pressed her lips to his. She didn't know why she moved. She wasn't even aware she did until she tasted heaven on Ryuu's lips. Their kiss did not last long but the fireworks crashed and boomed as she stared into Ryuu's loving deep green eyes and felt complete for the first time in her life.

_***Well there you go! Did you like my little surprise at the end? Welcome new followers and favorites! Thank you all for your support as it is greatly appreciated! This story has a couple more chapters left in it and then it will be the end. :(**_

**But! it is not over yet! Until next time~~***


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